Mini Contemporary-A-Thon Summer 2020 TBR

Hey, guys!

It's that time! A mini round of the contemporary-a-thon was announced this week and I'm really excited to take part in it. All I've wanted to read is contemporary romance and historical romance, so I'm really excited to dive into my stack of romances. I plan on doing a few more romance-centered readathons, so stay tuned for my TBRs and reading vlogs on my Instagram stories.

If you're interested in participating, I will provide Julie, Chelsea, and Natasha's videos below! I adore their channels and absolutely recommend you subscribe.

Dates: May 22 - May 25 Challenges:

1. Read a book with peach/orange/pink on the cover 2. Read a book under 250 pages 3. Read a book that you think will be fun!

I have quite a few books lined up for the readathon. I've been reading a bunch of books this past week (but not finishing them) and I've been attempting to do TomeTopple as well.

Here are some books I hope to read this weekend:

1. Beauty and the Blacksmith (Spindle Cove #3.5) by Tessa Dare

2. Any Duchess Will Do (Spindle Cove #4) by Tessa Dare

- I'm officially obsessed with Tessa Dare. I'm binging all of her books and I want them all for my collection.

3. The Boyfriend Project by Farrah Rochon (my BOTM pick for May)

-if you're interested in nabbing a copy, you can get your first box for $9.99 with the code MAY5

4. The Lady's Guide to Celestial Mechanics by Olivia Waite (for BaeClub through @baecrate)

- I'm really excited about this book because it's a f/f historical romance!

5. War (The Four Horsemen #2) by Laura Thalassa ( for the @romancethequebookclub)

- I've only just recently started diving into the world of fantasy romance -- as in romance novels that take place in a fantasy setting. I've read a lot of fantasy and high fantasy that have romance featured in it, but I've never really found fantasy romance novels that I've absolutely adored. Maybe I'm incorrect, but I just don't feel like I've read adult fantasy romance with the smutty times or adult themes.

6. The Bewitched Viking (Viking I #4) by Sandra Hill (for the lols)

This book looks so funny. I'm fully going into this with low expectations because it's not something I would typically pick up. I don't remember my reasoning when I bought this.

The majority of these books would apply to the first challenge, the first book applies to the second challenge, and all of them apply to the third. I'm really excited to read these books. I've been having a lot of fun reading so much romance during my time in quarantine.

Are you participating? What will you be reading?

Olivia

~ Liv the Book Nerd ~

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Reading Rush 2019 TBR

Hey, guys! 

It's time for the first-ever Reading Rush readathon! This readathon was previously called the Booktube-A-Thon! I'm so excited about the changes that Ariel and Raeleen put into place! What are you reading for this awesome readathon?

Stay tuned for my Twitter engagement and Instagram reading updates! I'll also be updating on my Reading Rush page and Goodreads! 

Twitter: {here}
Instagram: {here}

Goodreads: {here}
Reading Rush: {here}

Challenge 1:

Purple on the cover

Renegades (Renegades #1) by Marissa Meyer

I plan on reading this with a couple of friends! I'm so excited to continue catching up on Marissa Meyer's books!

Challenge 2:

Read a book in the same spot

The Near Witch by V.E. Schwab & Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker and Wendy Xu

Back when The Near Witch was repackaged and republished in March, Alex (my boyfriend) and I decided to preorder gorgeous hardbacks from the UK book store Forbidden Planet. We were so intrigued by the premise and we've really enjoyed the Schwab books we've picked up previously. Alex managed to read the entire book in under 12 hours and he really enjoyed it. I'm eager to see what I think. 

Mooncakes was available to read through NetGalley without any problem, so I'm really excited to see what I think of this lovely little graphic novel. It looks so colorful and cute. 

Challenge 3:

Read a book that you meant to read last year

Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young

I've been meaning to read this since it came out, but I only acquired this early this year. My boyfriend, Alex, really adored the audiobook for this book. I cannot wait to dive in! 

Challenge 4:

An author's first book

The Near Witch

I plan on doubling up on this challenge. This is Schwab's first published work, just with a new cover and some extra bits. I also plan on reading the short story at the end: The Ash-Born Boy. 

Challenge 5:

Non-human character

I believe that the main character of The Near Witch is a witch or comes in contact with a witch. Either way, there is some paranormal activity! I think there might be a god-character in Sky in the Deep too. I'm not quite sure, but with all the books I'm reading, I'm pretty sure I'll be encountering a non-human character. 

Challenge 6: 

A book with 5+ words in the title

The Lost Kingdom of Bamarre (The Two Princesses of Bamarre #0.5) by Gail Carson Levine

I picked this up for this challenge really late last night before the readathon started. I plan on listening to this via audio through my library. When I was young, my favorite books were by Gail Carson Levine and I'm so eager to see what I think of this prequel to the 

Challenge 7: 

Read a book and watch its adaptation

The Spring Girls by Anna Todd



This is a modern-day retelling of Little Women - one of my all-time favorite books..ever. The reviews on Goodreads are looking pretty bleak for this one, so I'm not surprised if I end up DNF-ing it. Though I'm hopeful for the best. I plan on starting this book via audio through my library and seeing how it goes from there. I also have the physical book on my shelves.


What are you reading for the readathon?

Happy reading!
Olivia
~Liv the Book Nerd~

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eBook-a-Thon 2019 Reading Wrap Up

Hey, guys!

This past week was such a fun week of ebook-reading. I didn't really enjoy the majority of the books that I read, but it was still a pretty nice reading week. I finished 5 books and started two more. 

Fae's Captive (#1) by Lily Archer 

2.5 stars

This novella has a lot of potential to be a fantastic (but still cheesy) romance novel. There's an immense lack of depth in the characters, the plot, and the world. I wish that there had been more description, less cringe-y dialogue, and more world building. The characters just accept that things are happening, when a realistic and well thought out character would question everything. The explanation that a good fantasy novel would have is not there. The author is too focused on being mysterious and keeping things for "twists" when it's a perfect place to add some explanation. I constantly found myself annoyed with the lack of explanation. 

I can see the passion behind this story and the characters, but there needs more work, more beta readers with actual experience, and a good editor. I'd love to be this author's editor. It'd be so fun. 

ALSO the use of "creamy thighs" needs to be ERADICATED from any novel. NO. GROSS! No more of that, please.

Though this book was SO flawed and too short, I'm going to read the rest of the series. They're under 150 pages each and really fast. We will see how this goes.

Road to Winter (Fae's Captive #2) by Lily Archer

2 stars

Bite of Winter (Fae's Captive #3) by Lily Archer 

2 stars

Beyond the Mountain (Fae's Captive #4) by Lily Archer 

2 stars

As I continued to read the rest of these books, I continuously lost hope for any potential that this series would improve. 

The author over-explains, switches between modern and older vernacular, inconsistent writing, missing scenes and information, unrealistic sex scenes and emotions surrounding the scenes, and convenient plot additions.

I think I will be posting a full series review in the future. I just have a lot of thoughts and not a lot of them are positive. 

Waiting on Tom Hanks by Kerry Winfrey 

3 stars 

This was a fun idea for a contemporary, but I found the constant and repetitive references to the iconic rom-com movies eventually became really annoying. I also really didn’t like the main character. The side characters and love interest were the best parts of the story. The “twist” at the end of the book was really random as well. I think this story has a lot of potential but it wasn’t 5-star material for me. I’m sure that a rom-com fanatic would love this book. Overall, the book was fun and a lovely love letter to the romantic comedy movie genre. It made me laugh many times. 

I also read around 47% of On Dublin Street by Samantha Young and about 83 pages (~22%) of Again, But Better by Christine Riccio. 

Did you participate in the ebook-a-thon? What did you read and what did you think of your books?

Happy reading, guys!

Olivia

~Liv the Book Nerd~
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May 2019 TBR ~ Read-a-Thon + Buddy Read Edition!

Hey, guys!

I'm really excited to finally start reading for fun, but I wanted to share my reading plans with you all! I'm planning on taking part in a few readathons during the month of May, but I'm not completely set in what I'm going to read. 

~ ~ ~ 

E - B O O K - A - T H O N

The first readathon I'm planning on being a part of is the E-Book-A-Thon. This is hosted by a few of my bookish friends [@brookesbooknook on IG] and I haven't been able to take part in the readathon until now. I'm not normally an e-reader, but I'm quite excited to get to the e-books I have compiled.

I'm not going to take part in the challenges because I just need to get through some e-books, but if you think that some of these fit the challenges, then more power to you!

Here are the books I want to read!

Again, But Better - Christine Riccio [e-ARC via NetGalley]

On Dublin Street - Samantha Young

Fae Captive - Lily Archer

Waiting On Tom Hanks - Kerry Winfrey [e-ARC via NetGalley]

Wicked Saints - Emily A. Duncan [e-ARC via NetGalley]

This readathon takes place May 12-18! I'm really excited to read all the e-books with my friends!

~~~

B U D D Y   R E A D S

After the E-Book-A-Thon, my friends and I are planning on reading: 

The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren

The Princess Bride by William Goldman

Alex, Approximately by Jenn Bennett

Follow My Friends!

Brooke - @brookesbooknook
Mariana - @booksbymyshelf
Becky - @books_for_bookss
Alice - @thereadinglitchi

Other Books I Want to Read

Famous In A Small Town by Emma Mills
Sky In the Deep by Adrienne Young
The Chupacabras of Rio Grande (The Unicorn Rescue Society #4) by Adam Gidwitz and David Bowles
Restore Me (Shatter Me #4) by Tahereh Mafi
Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend
Ogre Enchanted (Ella Enchanted #0.5) by Gail Carson Levine
Catwoman: Soulstealer by Sarah J. Maas
Crazy Rich Asians (Crazy Rich Asians #1) by Kevin Kwan

What are you reading in May? Let me know down in the comments!

Happy reading!

Olivia

~ Liv the Book Nerd ~

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February 2019 TBR // The BookTube Games & Contemporary-A-Thon // #TeamKetterdam

Hey, guys!

This month is going to be so busy, but I'm going to be casually taking part in a couple readathons -- The BookTube Games and Contemporary-A-Thon. TBTG takes place all month and CAT takes place from the 11th until the 17th. I'm definitely going to be busy as hell, but I definitely want to try to be active-ish when it comes to reading. 

This collective TBR is absolutely overly ambitious. I cannot promise that I will finish all of these books. I'm not betting on it. However, I will try. It isn't my top priority, but it will be something I attempt. I cannot wait until the end of the semester. May cannot come fast enough. I'm ready for the warmer weather and the free time.

~~~

Let's go over The BookTube Games

For the BookTube Games, the basic premise is that we are broken up into teams. (TEAM KETTERDAM FOR THE WIN!) During the whole month of February, each member keeps track of the number of pages that they read and their stats go toward the team's points. Whoever reads the most wins. It's really fun. If you're interested in joining, check out @TheBookTubeGames on Twitter or Myonna's channel at LittleWolfReads.

Here are the books I want to tackle this month:

~ Heart of Iron by Ashley Poston

After finishing Geekerella last summer and reading an ARC of The Princess and The Fangirl, I have to finally pick up Heart of Iron. I have it signed and personalized and I'm definitely sure that I will adore this book. I'm so excited. 

~ To Kill A Kingdom by Alexandria Christo

I picked this up in early January and didn't continue (I liked it! I just wasn't in the mood at the time). I'd love to see what the hype is about for this book. I'm currently 84 pages in.

~ Echo North by Joanna Ruth Meyers

It's an "East o the Sun West o the Moon" retelling. Need I say more?

~ Lost Boys by Riley Quinn

This ARC was sent to me for an honest review. It's a Peter Pan retelling, so of cours,e I'm interested!

~ Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand

This is the first book that a bunch of the Ketterdam team will read. For the readathon, if you buddy read the chosen book for your group, it gets counted as double the points/pages. I'm excited to dive into this one.

~ Famous In A Small Town by Emma Mills

It's Emma Mills. I will read anything she gets published. This came out January 15 and I'd love to read it sooner than soon!

~ The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

For February, I also wanted Alex to pick a book for me to read. He's been impatiently waiting for me to read THUG, so I will definitely prioriticize reading this one. It's such an iconic book for this generation. I'm daunted by the hype, but I'm excited to experience this book.

~ Restore Me by Tahereh Mafi

I also started this in January and didn't continue with it. I was minorly spoiled and it spooked me. I'd love to be updated with this series before Shadow Me and Defy Me to come out. I ordered a Book Hangover box from FaeCrate for Defy Me. I'm so excited. I love this world and the characters. 

~ King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo

This is another possibility. I plan on buddy reading this with my beautiful friends: Becky, Brooke, Alice, and Mariana. We're just waiting on all of our copies to come. I can't wait to discuss this book with them. Our IG group chat is literally titled "Bardugo Babes".

~ Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes

Alex and I are currently reading this book, but we aren't very far along in it. I'm currently 38 pages into it.

Let's explain the Contemporary-A-Thon!

This is the 4th installment and I'm so excited to take part in it. I found out about this awesome readathon via Julie from Pages and Pens. She is one of the hosts and such a great person. 

THE HOSTS:

Chelsea at Chelseadolling Reads: {click here}

Natasha at Myreadingisodd:{click here} Melanie at Meltotheany: {click here}

Julie {click here}

SOCIAL MEDIA TO FOLLOW: ContemporaryAThon Instagram Book Hangover (aka Contemporaryathon) Twitter

THE CHALLENGES: 1. Read your most recently acquired contemporary novel 2. Read a book with plurple (blue or purple) on the cover 3. Read a diverse contemporary (keep in mind it’s Black History Month) 4. Read a dark or taboo contemporary 5. Read a contemporary you meant to read in 2018 but didn’t get to 6. Read a contemporary in a non-traditional format. 7. Read a contemporary with a picture on the spine.

For this readathon, I plan on reading:

~ 99 Percent Mine by Sally Thorne (Not shown. Pre-ordered and on it's way to me)

~ Famous In A Small Town by Emma Mills

~ The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

I don't plan on completing all of the challenges or actively looking to check that I'm reading my books in a fast and timely manner, but if I manage to read one of these books during that week, I will be a happy camper. 

Again, I'm being super chill and stress-less because school comes first!

What do you want to read this month?

Happy reading!

Olivia

~LivTheBookNerd~

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{Reading Challenge} A-Z Reading Challenge ~ 2018 Edition

Hey, guys!

It's time for the A-Z Reading Challenge! I had such a fun time doing this challenge in 2017 that I decided to do a chill version in 2018. I managed to read 20/26 of the letters. Maybe I'll commit to doing the challenge for real in 2019. Who knows!

Original Goodreads Challenge: {click here}

The Goal: 

✩ Read 26 books in which titles begin with the letters of the alphabet. 

The Guidelines: 

✩ Articles like "A", "An" and "The" at the beginning of the title can be ignored.

✩ For the letter "X", it's acceptable to use any book title with the letter "X" in it. 

✩ Feel free to join the challenge any time during the year. As long as the books were read in 2017, you can go ahead and backdate. 

✩ Have fun! Be sure to check out the lists of other players...it's a great way to find new TBR's!

Here are the books that I read that fulfilled this challenge!

~~~

A - A Court of Frost & Starlight by Sarah J. Maas

B - Bring Me Their Hearts by Sara Wolf

C - Captive Prince by C.S. Pacat

D - (The) Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black

E - 

F - (The) Forest Queen by Betsy Cornwell

G - (The) Gentleman's Guide to Vice & Virtue by Mackenzie Lee

H - (The) Hating Game by Sally Thorne

I - It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover

J - Josh & Hazel's Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren

K - (The) Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang

L - Laura & Emma by Kate Greathead

M - Maybe Not by Colleen Hoover

N - November 9 by Colleen Hoover

O- 

P - Paper Princess by Erin Watt

Q - Quests for Glory (The Camelot Years #1) by Soman Chainani

R - Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

S - Save the Date by Morgan Matson

T - That Inevitable Victorian Thing by E.K. Johnston

U - Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover

V - 

W - West by Edith Pattou

X -

Y -

Z -

I will be posting reviews for the review-less books in the new year. The books that need reviews will most likely be grouped in either a series review or a "new adult reads" review!  Stay tuned, all!

Happy reading, guys!

Olivia
~Liv the Book Nerd~
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{Read-A-Thon: Wrap Up} Summer '18 Biannual Bibliothon

Hey, guys!

This past week I took part in the Summer 2018 Biannual Bibliothon and I did so well! I cannot believe that I read so much! I read 10 books! Well, 6 books, 3 comics, and a novella; but that counts! I'm super proud of my progress! Not only did I manage to read 7+ books, I managed to make my Goodreads goal 5 months early! I've decided to up my goal from 85 to 95 books in a year. I may even increase it to 100, but I really do not want to get ahead of myself. School will be starting up again soon, so I just do not want to commit to that. Oh well.

Here are the books I read for the Biannual Bibliothon!

1. Captive Prince by C.S. Pacat 
• ~ 3 stars
2. The Ancient Magus Bride Volume 1 by Kore Yamazaki 
• ~ 3 stars
3. Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood (Persepolis #1) by Marjane Satrapi 
• ~ 3 stars
4. Paper Princess (Royals #1) by Erin Watt 
• ~ 3 stars
5. The Mirror and the Maze (The Wrath and the Dawn #1.5) by Renee Ahdieh 
• ~ 3 stars
6. Save the Date by Morgan Matson 
• ~ 5 stars
7. Lumberjanes: Beyond Bay Leaf Special #1 by Faith Erin Hicks, Noelle Stevenson, Rosemary Valero-O'Connell, and Shannon Watters 
• ~ 4 stars
8. Runaways #7 by Kris Anka and Rainbow Rowell 
• ~ 4 stars
9. Jim Henson's Storyteller: Fairies #1 by Matt Smith and Dan Jackson 
• ~ 3 stars
10. Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return (Persepolis #2) by Marjane Satrapi 
• ~ 3 stars

+ 81 pages from A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

+ 20 pages from Kidnapped For His Royal Duty by Jane Porter {DNF'd}

- READING CHALLENGES –

1. Group book: The Wicked Deep: I couldn't manage to access an audiobook or ebook to read this. I didn't want to purchase it yet, so it just wasn't read yet. 

2. Buddy Read/From someone else's TBR: Kidnapped For His Royal Duty - I tried to read this with Alex. He forced himself through it and read it in one sitting. He hated it. 1 star. I tried to read it, but I couldn't even stomach the first 20 pages. It was just so bad. DNF'd.

3. Try the first chapter of 3 books and pick 1: Captive Prince & Paper Princess - These were just so easy to read. Captive Prince was actually my first book to try. I was going to read my 3 chapters during the first couple hours of the readathon, but it captured my interest right away. I managed to read the first 50 pages before I passed out asleep. The other books didn't really have a chance. I also read Paper Princess in the next couple days. It was just so angsty and wow. The writing for both novels wasn't the best, but I was thoroughly entertained. I'm definitely going to fly through the rest of the series. I will be picking up the other books. 

4. Read a book that has been on your TBR for over a year - I didn't exactly complete this challenge. I did read a lot of books from my physical TBR, but they had only been on my TBR for about 6 months. I'm still pretty proud. 

5. Read a predicted 5 star read: Save the Date - Oh my gosh. This book was just so well done. I absolutely adore everything Morgan Matson writes. She is just an excellent storyteller. I adore the characters she creates and I love how she focuses on family relationships and family units rather than just on romance. Charlie was absolutely charming and I really really want a sequel. 417 pages was definitely not enough for me. I needed more. 

6. Own voices: Persepolis 1 and 2 - Oh my. These graphic novels were so fascinating. I really enjoyed Marjane's story and her narration. Her art style was beautiful and I learned so much from her experiences. 

7. Read the last book you bought: The Ancient Magus Bride Vol. 1 - This was super fun. I really enjoy the series in manga form. I'm excited to see where the rest of the story goes. 

Number of Challenges Finished: 4/7

Total # of Pages Read: 1,840

Day 1: 220 pages

Day 2: 477 pages

Day 3: 164 pages

Day 4: 188 pages

Day 5: 383 pages

Day 6: 221 pages

Day 7: 187 pages

Happy reading!
Olivia ~Liv the Book Nerd~
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